| Summary: | The occurrence of chromosome aberrations was studied In short-term cultured lymphocytes from nine workers exposed to arsenic at the Ronnskar smeltery in northern Sweden. In the smelter workers, 87 aberrations were found in 819 mitoses. The number of aberrations varied individually from 0 to 25 aberrations per 100 cells. In a control material 13 aberrations were found in 1012 mitoses. The frequency of chromosome aberrations was significantly increased among the smelter workers, but due to the simultaneous exposure to other agents the effect of arsenic per se can not be assessed with certainty. Carcinogenic effects of arsenic have been found in clinical and epidemiological investigations (1, 2), but not in animal experiments (3). An increased frequency of chromosome aberrations has been found (4) in short-term cultured lymphocytes of wine growers and psoriatric patients treated with arsenic. Experimental studies (5) in Escherichia coli suggest that arsenic compounds may act as cocarcinogens by inhibiting DNA repair. In this paper we report some preliminary results from a study of chromosome aberrations in arsenic exposed workers at the Ronnkar smeltery in northern Sweden. Materials and Methods Blood samples were collected from a series of workers exposed to arsenic at the Ronnskar smeltery and sent to the Clinical Genetics laboratory in Umea for examination. This study is a part of a larger project involving exposition to other potentially hazardous agents at Ronnskar, e.g., lead. We are presenting here data for a relatively small number of individuals. The ongoing project will not be completed until next year. Data on urinary arsenic levels and type and duration of exposition were available on most of the examined workers. As controls apparently healthy individuals from Ume'a were used. Other control material from newly employed workers at Ronnskar is now under collection.
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